'Love Me Do' range

"Love, love me do... you know I love you, I'll always be true - so pleaseeee... love me do...dum dum, dum dum de-da-da-da...." you are singing along aren't you?!



Something fun & sparkly to wear for Valentines!




Dropping these to Shop Handmade tomorrow, who incidentally are doing their bit towards raising money for the Queensland Flood Appeal. Participating designers ( including me) are donating 10% of their sale price towards the appeal, while Julie and Rachel are matching each dollar raised - generous, no?!



These hearts have been a long time coming, like well over a year :-) Finally getting some shoe clips out there too... I 'borrowed' the shoe photo from a well known site*, printed it out and cut out holes to clip on my shoe clips. I wanted customers to know what they were straight away. My hair accessories can be quite hard to merchandise at times.

*That site incidentally, have similar clips for sale - if you can't beat them, join them - at least I am in good company. Are you finding it just as hard to have original ideas?

Grace Designs - Customer Loyalty Program

Just in time for Christmas, I would love to reward my fabulous loyal customers - that's you - with a loyalty program. Starting today - Tuesday, 16th November - until further notice....



*with a maximum discount of $25

T&C

• You can't use past purchases to accrue number of sales - it is only for sales starting today 16/11/10
• 25% refund will be done through paypal within 48hours
• You will receive 25% off every 7th purchase made, i.e: on your 14th purchase you also receive 25% off etc...
  
• Grace Designs retains the right to end this promotion without notice
  

Thank you for taking my survey

Image - Amanda Keeys Photography

Thanks so much to everyone who took my survey last week! The survey is now closed. It was great to get such lovely positive feedback and some constructive criticism. Both are very useful in building my little business, refining my products and seeing where my strengths and weaknesses lie.

Thanks for all the great suggestions - I will do my best to implement those that I can. Thank you again for supporting me - It is much appreciated. I struggle to get anything done for my business at the moment. It is a very slow process and two young children certainly keep me busy. I day dream about when they can play together while I sit with them sewing away :-)

What makes Grace Designs stand out from the crowd?

I decided it was time to do a little business review and would love if you took a quick survey for me! It is only 10 questions - you do not have to answer all of them. Click on this link.

Grace Designs in Cookie World Magazine

Images courtesy of Amanda :-) These are still some of my favourite photos Amanda took for me last year - some of my first headbands. They are featured in Cookie World Magazine - printed in China! Very cool!

Order your copy of Handmade Living now!

Pre-order your copy of Handmade Living here! I am so excited to be in a beautiful book!

My Creative Space - to fray or not to fray?

I have been trying to perfect a big rose design for a while... these two blooms were made a little while back. So, no I am not superwoman making things while juggling no sleep and a newborn!! I just got these photos back and had to share them!! These are both hair clips that double as headbands once on ribbon :-)



I love dupion silk but it does fray a fair bit and the edges don't seal so well... I don't mind frayed - I like it more in the first photo than the second.... I guess it's an individual thing!? Sometimes I worry it can cheapen the look of my hair accessories but there is also something rustic about that unfinished, natural look? Any thoughts?? These gorgeous models belong to 'my' gorgeous Sydney-based children's photographer, Amanda :-) oh and more creative spaces here.

Photos amandakeeysphotography.com

PS: Just a note to set the record straight for my last creative space post: I didn't make honey jumbles 2 days home from hospital!!! They were done a few days before I had Josiah :-) So, I am not crazy nor that clever!

New Stock for Shop Handmade

Since I stopped my part-time 'work' for Handmade Market/Shop in preparation to have baby #2, I have been enjoying getting my creative mojo back on and have actually had time to make a few things to stock the shop with my own designs!!



I am trialling a new wool blend felt and love it - the blue is the sweetest colour! I made these delightful hydrangea headbands and rose clips for the shop among other things. These are my new favourite felt creations! The rose clips are similar to my old ones but just bigger and on a bigger clip!






These aren't available in either of my on-line stores at the moment as I doubt I will have time to make any more for a little while! I will definitely be listing them post baby once I have gotten into the groove of 2 kids and have a moment spare.... :-)

Monday Musings - bake-a-thon

I was in a baking mood over the weekend and made Greek Almond biscuits for the first time (pic below)! They were easy and DELICIOUS! I also made Meringues / Mini Pavlova's! Mmmm

I was feeling quite tired after two big nights of a completely manic shopping frenzy with 30 or so women! Not in person... but on my Grace Designs Facebook page! I had quite a bit of market stock and samples to 'move' - so I held a Facebook - End of Summer Sale! It was not my original idea but was very successful and I am thrilled with the outcome. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the friendly banter and the whole community feel that went on in those few hours - I think everyone else did too. It was meant to be for just two hours on Thurs night but that night we went for 3 and the following night for another 2hrs. PHEW! Lots of paperwork and posting to do now!

I will write a post on the whole experience another time... In the meantime enjoy the Greek Almond Biscuit recipe!



Greek Almond Biscuits

• 3 cups almond meal (375g)
• 1 cup caster sugar (220g)
• 3 drops of almond essence
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup flaked almonds (80g)

1. Pre-heat oven - moderate 180 degrees
2. Combine almond meal, sugar and essence in large bowl. Add add whites and stir until mixtures forms a firm paste.
3. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into the flaked almonds, then roll into 8cm longs (approx size of your pointer finger)
4. Press on the remaining almonds. Shape logs to form crescents.
5. Place on baking-paper-lined oven trays, bake in mod oven for 15 mins or until lightly browned.
6. Cool on trays, makes 25.

Recipe - Women's Weekly: Cafe Cakes

Grace Designs - In Etsy treasury

It's always lovely to be featured in a treasury! The lovely Vicki from LilliputLoft has featured another of my photos in her treasury entitled Child's play - I love those top 3 images especially.

Another new design..

Did I mention I like versatility?? :-) This is a silver/grey satin bloom featuring a dark Swarovski pearl surrounded by clear Swarovski crystals. I hardened some of the petals to give textural diversity as well as strength! I really like this design too :-) I will be making some for the shop soon now that I have sorted out the prototype!

Grace Designs - In Etsy treasury

Lovely to be featured in my first treasury for 2010! It's called Here Comes the Sun and was put together by Lilliputloft. Thank you!!

Sneak Peak!

A sneak peak of my favourite new flower! This is only on a hair clip at the moment but will probably attach to brooch backs too for the shop - I love versatility. Thank you to my gorgeous sister-in-law Lizzie for doing some modeling for me :-) SOON to be on sale :-) The pictured bloom is in Ivory thai silk.

Grace Designs - Embrace Workshop sponsor

I had to break my little blog holiday and post this exciting announcement... I am delighted to be sponsoring my first 'event' - The Embrace Workshop for the very talented Amanda Keeys & Kara Elmore. My clever hubby designed a lovely little button for me which you can see under sponsors (rhs of the Embrace Workshop page). If you live close by to Utah and are interested in the photography workshop contact the girls now! I am not sure how many spots they have left but they have limited places... I am sure it will be worth your while and Amanda is coming all the way from Australia to be there :-) ... back in holiday mode now....we are off to the beach on Wednesday for 5 nights! yeah!!!!
{image Amanda Keeys Photography}

Happy, Happy Christmas....

Have a lovely Christmas everyone! I am going on a little blogging/Christmas break and will be back in the New Year :-) This isn't our place but a lovely little home in New Zealand, near Auckland where we went Christmas light viewing in 2006 with my brother and his wife. Such happy memories :-) Have a really special Christmas with your families and friends as we celebrate the birth of Christ and have a very safe New Years!

My Etsy and Madeit stores will be open over the holiday break but SHIPPING won't resume until Tuesday 12th January 2010.

Grace Designs on Pascale Wowak Photography blog

Pascale takes amazing photos and was lovely enough to include a couple of my white felt hair clip on a recent outing/photo shoot for Courtney Courtney. I love seeing my pieces in real life! On real little people :-) Mind you I would happily wear this one too.

Grace Designs on Madeit newsletter

This was a lovely surprise in my inbox today! My African Violet headband featured on today's email from madeit.com.au It's the Aussie equivalent of Etsy :-) Visit my store here. More about my lovely weekend adventures tomorrow.

New Listings in my Etsy shop

I have listed some new items in my etsy and madeit stores including these darling rose bloom headbands. Great for Christmas - summery and cheery :-) I can make smaller ones for the little ones too!

Monday Musings - Handmade over for the year

What a great weekend it was at Handmade... It felt so typically Australian to be in a wool shed with the heat, dust and flies! I kept hydrated Friday night with plenty of water, fruit and thank goodness a slushy stall!! There is always a great vibe amongst shoppers and stallholders at handmade - everyone seems genuinely happy to be in a lovely environment with awesome items on offer. Three cheers for market girl for pulling together yet another fabulous market. Thanks to those that braved the heat Friday especially and took home some Grace Designs hair candy :-) Only a few pics of my stand and some lovely friends.

1. Grace Designs
2. Rockstars and Royalty
3. Posie Patchwork

A little tutorial on my Christmas bunting (see first pic) to come...

Monday Musings - more pretties in the making

I had such a fabulous time creating over the weekend. I am really happy with how my pieces turned out. Can I say these photos are only of me 'modeling' out of necessity!! They would look no good on my hubby. It is hard to get photos where you don't feel or look like a complete idiot :-) A few more of this weekends work on flickr.